Egypt's Mubarak is 'at death's door'
Egypt's former leader Hosni El Sayed Mubarak is either clinically dead or on life support, according to reports from Cairo.
The deposed president was declared clinically dead late Tuesday after being transferred to a hospital from prison, state media MENA reported.
"Hosni Mubarak is clinically dead," the official MENA news agency wrote. "Medical sources told MENA his heart had stopped beating and did not respond to defibrillation."
The 84-year-old Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison on June 2 for suppressing a citizen revolt against him in the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011. Nearly 1,000 protesters were killed by Mubarak's army. Once removed from power, Mubarak suffered a stroke and his health quickly deteriorated from there. He suffered an emotional breakdown after being moved to an intensive care wing in Cairo's Tora prison.
During his stay in Tora, Mubarak suffered from depression and heart problems, the Interior Ministry officials said. Agence France Presse reported from Cairo that Mubarak's wife Suzanne and his two daughters-in-law were given special permission to visit him following rumors he had died in prison. According to reports, after suffering a stroke in prison on Tuesday, Mr. Mubarak was moved to a military hospital. Medical and military sources said he had been in a coma on life support.
Mubarak assumed the presidency October 14, 1981 after Sadat's assassination. His almost thirty-year presidency made him Egypt's longest-serving ruler since Muhammad Ali Pasha.
The 84-year-old's spectacular fall from grace sent shock waves across the Middle East and beyond when he announced his resignation on February 11, 2011 after an 18-day popular revolt. The military took power after his resignation.
Until the Arab Spring hit Egypt on January 25, Mubarak was an untouchable ruler who could do no wrong because he was backed by the United States, the military, and enjoyed zero criticism from Israel, a rarity for such a well-armed Muslim nation.
